Quoting Buddha

"Tibetans are a distinct and separate race"

“Before I tell of the disaster which has overtaken Tibet, I must try to give an impression of the life of our people in our happier days.

Tibet has many neighbors: China, Mongolia, East Turkestan in the east and north, and India, Burma, and the states of Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan in the south. Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union are also close to us. For many centuries, we have had relationships with several of these neighbors. With India in particular, we have had strong religious ties during the past thousand years; indeed, our alphabet was derived from Sanskrit, because when Buddhism was brought to Tibet from India these was no Tibetan script, and a script was needed so that religious works could be translated and read by Tibetans. We also had religious and political ties with Mongolia and China. And in earlier times we had connections with Persia and eastern Turkey, so that there is still resemblance between Persian and Tibetan dress. In more recent history, about the beginning of the twentieth century, we had political relations with Russia, and after that, for a longer period, with Britain.

But despite these neighborly relationships, Tibetans are a distinct and separate race. Our physical appearance and our language and customs are entirely different from those of any of our neighbors. We have no ethnological connection with anyone else in our part of Asia.”

My Land and My People: The Original Autobiography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama

No Torch in Tibet

Stand with Tibet

Our world is interdependent. Opening a genuine dialog for the people of Tibet can also move China to follow a more positive path, which will in turn effect the globe.

Please read this message from avaaz.org, sign the petition, and spread the word.

--------------------------

Dear friends,

After decades of repression under Chinese rule, the Tibetan people's frustrations have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. With the spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games now on China, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change.

The Chinese government has said that the protesters who have not yet surrendered "will be punished". Its leaders are right now considering a crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China.

We can affect this historic choice--China does care about its international reputation. China's President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the 'Made in China' brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention--and we need it in the next 48 hours.

The Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the world's people to support him. Click below now to sign the petition--and tell absolutely everyone you can right away--our goal is 1 million voices united for Tibet:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/97.php/?cl_tf_sign=1

China's economy is totally dependent on "Made in China" exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new China, respected as a leading world power. China is also a very diverse country with a brutal past and has reason to be concerned about its stability -- some of Tibet's rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from Tibetans who seek dialogue and reform.

We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in London, New York, and Beijing, but it must be a massive number before we deliver the petition. Please forward this email to your address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address book--it will come up after you sign the petition.

The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak--we must help them be heard.

With hope and respect,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team

PS - It has been suggested that the Chinese government may block the Avaaz website as a result of this email, and thousands of Avaaz members in China will no longer be able to participate in our community. A poll of Avaaz members over the weekend showed that over 80% of us believed it was still important to act on Tibet despite this terrible potential loss to our community, if we thought we could make a difference. If we are blocked, Avaaz will help maintain the campaign for internet freedom for all Chinese people, so that our members in China can one day rejoin our community.

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:
BBC News: UN Calls for Restraint in Tibet - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7301912.stm
Human Right Watch: China Restrain from Violently Attacking Protesters - http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/15/china18291.htm
Associated Press: Tibet Unrest Sparks Global Reaction - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gSSpPcDOPMoAiRLhPUyezuCRiXBQD8VFDD680
New York Times: China Takes Steps to Thwart Reporting on Tibet Protests - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/world/asia/18access.html?ref=world
--------------------------------------------

ABOUT AVAAZ

Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.

Healing Ourselves First

Why do you focus more on receiving healing blessings yourself than on giving them to others?

When we try to begin our journey on a spiritual path, finding excuses not to move forward is a typical trap for many of us. When we are not pursuing any spiritual path, we don't even think that much about caring for others, but when we are at the starting point of some worthwhile journey, we immediately begin hearing, "Oh, you're so selfish. you're enjoying peace and joy, while many others are suffering. That's not fair!" That freezes us where we are and prevents us from making any progress. At this point, we have to remember two things:

1. In order to help or heal others, we must first gain the benefit of healing blessings ourselves. It is like wanting to give money to a needy person: first we must have or make some money, because only then can we give it away.

2. Yes, according to Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism, the best spiritual training is to serve the needs of others, the mother beings, with no selfish motivations. That means that our purpose in generating peace and joy in ourselves must be for the sake of others, or at least that must be our aim.

Thus we must create and feel peace and joy in ourselves with no hesitation. When we have gained these benefits, we must share them with others, with the greatest joy.

If we have peace, spontaneously all our words and actions will be expressions of peace and joy. Then, even if we are not actively sharing peace or trying to help others, our good qualities will still have a positive effect on many around us.

Tulku Thondup, Boundless Healing: Meditation Exercises to Enlighten the Mind and Heal the Body
(Link opens a new window with prices and reviews.)

Freedom from Suffering

Some may wonder whether it is a luxury to seek to dispel their own inner pain in order to attain inner freedom when so many others are suffering from famine, extreme poverty, war, and countless other disasters. Why don't we simply try to relieve their suffering immediately? If that were possible, scientists too would give up their research just to work on emergency cases. Likewise, what would be the point of spending five years building a hospital? Electrical and plumbing work doesn't cure anybody. Why not just head for the street, set up some tents, and begin treating the sick straightaway?

Matthieu Ricard, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
(Link opens a new window with reviews and prices.)

China Restrictions for Olympic Games

China announces tough media restrictions for 2008 Olympics
FTC[Friday, September 29, 2006 00:27]

London - China has unveiled alarming new plans governing coverage of the 2008 Games to more than 300 journalists from 93 international news organisations earlier this week. At a first Olympics press briefing in Beijing , Liu Qi, mayor of Beijing and president of the organising Committee BOCOG, and Sun Weijia, Olympics Press Chief promised "good working conditions" for foreign journalists. It was also revealed, however, that China would bar sensitive material on concerns such as human rights violations. A list of items not allowed to be brought into the country was also announced including "print products and CD-ROMs which are harmful to China's politics, economy and culture."

In a move clearly designed to placate the Chinese authorities, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) press commission chief, Kevan Gosper, asked journalists "to respect the conditions and rules" in place in China.

"The IOC's infamous pledge that giving the Games to China would improve the human rights situation there in the run up to the 2008 Games is in ruins" said Matt Whitticase of Free Tibet Campaign. "In 2002 Jacques Rogge(1) said he would act if China failed to protect rights to his satisfaction in the run up to the Games(2). Instead, Mr Gosper's latest statement suggests the IOC is colluding with China in preventing journalists from covering China's ongoing and serious human rights violations in China and Tibet, a key component of the overall coverage of the Beijing 2008 Games. It is particularly damaging that the IOC should encourage journalists to censor themselves precisely at the time when China is cracking down on the ability of domestic and foreign journalists to report sensitive news in China."

In the last year the Chinese leadership has drastically curtailed media freedoms in China. Journalists have been harassed and arrested, tens of thousands employed to police internet use and new legislation drafted to criminalise all publications deemed not to be in the national interest. The Foreign Correspondents Club in Beijing has received reports of 72 incidents of harassment of journalists from 15 countries. And earlier this month China announced through Xinhua, the official state media outlet, tough new restrictions on the distribution of foreign news inside China.

Notes:
(1) Jacques Rogge is President of the International Committee.
(2) His comments were made in 2002 in an interview on BBC's Hardtalk programme.

Free Tibet Campaign

28 Charles Square, London N1 6HT, UK
Fax: 44 (0)20 7324 4606
Email: mail@freetibet.org
Contact: 020 7324 4605 Matt Whitticase /07904 063746 or Ya'el Weisz-Rind 077 3339 1773

Gold Medal for the Dalai Lama

President Bush signs into law proposal to honor Dalai Lama with medal despite Chinese objections

The Associated Press

Published: September 27, 2006

WASHINGTON President George W. Bush signed into law Wednesday a bill to present to the Dalai Lama a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Congress.
The decision to honor the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who is still widely revered in the mountainous region ruled by China, caused outrage in Beijing when the House of Representatives passed the measure two weeks ago.

At the time, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang denounced the decision, which he said "seriously interferes with China's internal affairs and damages China-U.S. relations."

The Chinese government considers the Dalai Lama a political troublemaker who works from his exile in India to push for Tibet's independence. The Dalai Lama led large numbers of followers to refuge in northern India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The proposal to honor the Dalai Lama with a Congressional Gold Medal was co-sponsored by 73 of the 100 senators. It said the Dalai Lama "has struggled for half a century to better the lives of the Tibetan people." The Dalai Lama was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, which China also criticized.

Other non-Americans who have been awarded the Congressional medal include Britain's World War II prime minister, Winston Churchill; Albanian-born humanitarian Mother Teresa; and Nelson Mandela, the first president of post-apartheid South Africa.

A Face Radiant with Joy

When listening to the sacred teachings
Consider yourself most fortunate.
Show a face radiant with joy
And a smile exuding delight;
Listen with a mind free of the three pot-like faults.

Je Tsongkhapa, quoted by Glenn H. Mullin in The Practice of Kalachakra
(Link will open a new window with book reviews and prices.)

The three pots are an overturned pot, a pot contaminated with poison, and a pot with a hole in it's base.

tags technorati : Buddhism Buddhist retreat Kalachakra Tsongkhapa

Dalai Lama Stories

I'd like to finish off my month long marathon of Dalai Lama quotes and stories (in honor of his July 6th birthday) with two of my favorite stories about His Holiness.

I saw both of these on film years ago, years before I thought about becoming a Buddhist. The film was in black and white, which may give you some indication of how long ago this was. The images have stayed with me. I hope my descriptions are good enough for you to understand why.

==============

In one scene, the Dalai Lama is being interviewed. The discussion has moved to the issue of non-violence. I think His Holiness has been asked if it's ever right to kill. He pantomimes a mosquito landing on his arm and he kindly blows it off. Next, he mimes the mosquito landing again. This time he flicks it off gently. Third time. The mosquito lands again and SMACK! His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ocean of Wisdom, reincarnation of Avalokitshvara Buddha of Compassion crushes the little bugger with his free hand! He just chuckles.

===============

Another scene (same film?) His Holiness is standing in a receiving line in India, meeting the Tibetan refugees, locals and pilgrims who come to see him. The line is endless. Two young nuns come before him. They have arrived in India only a few hours ago, surviving a long and dangerous trek from Tibet. They are clearly traumatized, but their devotion in seeing the Dalai Lama is palpable. His Holiness takes a few moments to greet them then starts to move on to the next person in line. Suddenly he turns his attention back to them and asks "Where are you staying?" Now all their exhaustion, all their barely contained trauma springs forward, "We don't know, we just arrived, we have no place to stay." They are sobbing uncontrollably. In the space of 3 seconds, The Dalai Lama calms them, motions to someone off screen, gives some commands, and tells the young women to follow this person. Not to worry now. They will be fed, sheltered and cared for.

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama Tibet documentary refugees

Congressional Gold Medal for the Dalai Lama?

The International Campaign for Tibet sent out a joyful thank you note, announcing there are now more than 290 cosponsors for H.R. 4562; the bill to award the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.

Securing at least 290 cosponsors was a mandatory precursor to having the House Financial Services Committee consider the bill. When Congress resumes in September, they will meet and the bill will be voted on.

"Securing the support of two-thirds of the House of Representatives is a fantastic effort, especially given the intense counter-offensive we've faced from the Chinese lobby," said Mary Beth Markey, Executive Director.

Given China's recent threat to punish Canada for giving honorary citizenship to the Dalai Lama, it will be interesting to see the final US vote on the Congressional Gold Medal.

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama politics Congressional_Gold_Medal Canada citizenship

Instructions for Happiness

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion. 

The Dalai Lama

[I've had this quote for awhile, don't remember the source.]

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama quotes happiness compassion be_happy

Seeing Faults

It is far more useful to be aware of a single shortcoming in ourselves than it is to be aware of a thousand in somebody else. For when the fault is our own, we are in a position to correct it.

The Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millennium
(Link will open a new window with book reviews and prices.)

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama quotes Ethics_for_the_New_Millenium Buddhism books

Facing Problems

If we think of ourselves as very precious and absolute, our whole mental focus becomes very narrow and limited and even minor problems can seem unbearable... If we switch our mental attitude from concern for our own welfare to that of others, our mind automatically widens and our own problems appear much less important and easier to face.

The Dalai Lama, Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment
(Link will open a new window with book reviews and prices.)

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama quotes mental_attitude Buddhism

Achieving Peace

Thanks to Sujatin at LotusInTheMud for this Dalai Lama quote on Achieving Peace in the World

Internal peace is an essential first step to achieving peace in
the world. How do you cultivate it? It's very simple. In the first
place by realizing clearly that all mankind is one, that human
beings in every country are members of one and the same family.

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama peace quotes Buddhism

One Small Planet

If we looked down at the world from space, we would not see any demarcations of national boundaires. We would simply see one small planet, just one.

The Dalai Lama, An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life
(Link will open a new window with book reviews and pricing.)

tags technorati : Dalai-Lama quotes compassion

Inner Disarmament

Robert Thurman: How does one counteract violence without hatred or anger?

Dalai Lama: The antidote to hatred in the heart, the source of violence, is tolerance. Tolerance is an important virtue of bodhisattvas [enlightened heroes and heroines] -- it enables you to refrain from reacting angrily to the harm inflicted on you by others. You could call this practice "inner disarmament," in that a well-developed tolerance makes you free from the compulsion to counterattack. For the same reason, we also call tolerance the "best armor," since it protects you from being conquered by hatred itself.

The Dalai Lama speaks often on the need for inner disarmament as a prelude to peace. This quote is from a 1997 interview between Robert Thurman and the Dalai Lama. The whole interview is excellent. I just wonder if His Holiness would answer any of Thurman's questions differently today than he did in 1997.

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama Robert_Thurman religion peace Buddhism disarmament

Unacceptable

All forms of violence, especially war, are totally unacceptable as means to settle disputes between and among nations, groups and persons.

The Dalai Lama

View the full collection of anti-war quotes.

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama anti-war nonviolence Dalai_Lama_quotes

Dalai Lama on Nonviolence

Nonviolence does not mean that we remain indifferent to a problem. On the contrary, it is important to be fully engaged. However, we must behave in a way that does not benefit us alone. We must not harm the interests of others. Nonviolence therefore is not merely the absence of violence. It involves a sense of compassion and caring. It is almost a manifestation of compassion.

The Dalai Lama, An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life
(Link will open a new window with book reviews and prices.)

tags technorati : Dalai-Lama quotes nonviolence compassion religion Buddhism

Endless Cycle

Violence will only increase the cycle of violence.

The Dalai Lama. Found on this quotes page of the Centre for Restorative Justice.

tags technorati : Dalai-Lama quotes violence nonviolence Buddhism religion

Going to War

Anyone who practices the Dharma has a duty to do battle with the enemy -- negative emotions.

The Dalai Lama, A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night: A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Shambhala Dragon Editions)
(Link will open in a new window with reviews and prices.)

tags technorati : Dalai-Lama quotes war Buddhism

Faulty Actions

What draws us into suffering -- an untamed mind -- is not external but within our own mental continuums. For it is through the appearance of afflictive emotions in our minds that we are drawn into various faulty actions.

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, Kindness, Clarity, and Insight
(Link will open a new window with book reviews and prices.)

tags technorati : Dalai-Lama quotes suffering Buddhism religion

No Action Is Insignificant

As it is said in the sutras:

Abandon evildoing;
Practice virtue well;
Subdue your mind;
This is the Buddha's teaching.

We should avoid even the smallest negative actions, and we should perform even the most insignificant positive actions without underestimating their value. The reason for this is that the happiness we all want and the sufffering we all try to avoid are produced precisely by our actions, or karma.

The Dalai Lama, A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night: A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Shambhala Dragon Editions)
(Link will open a new window with book reviews and prices.)

tags technorati : Dalai-Lama quotes karma Buddha religion

The Way to Happiness

Happiness comes through taming the mind; without taming the mind there is no way to be happy.

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, Kindness, Clarity, and Insight

tags technorati : Dalai-Lama quotes happiness Buddhism

Ocean

I think when tragic things happen, it is on the surface. It's like the ocean. On the surface a wave comes, and sometimes the wave is very serious and strong. But it comes and goes, comes and goes, and underneath the ocean always remains calm.

The Dalai Lama, Words of Wisdom from His Holiness the Dalai Lama

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama quotes wisdom religion life Buddhism

The Dalai Lama on Genuine Happiness

During the course of my life, I have had to handle enormous responsibilities and difficulties. At sixteen, I lost my freedom when Tibet was occupied. At twenty-four, I lost my country itself when I came into exile. For forty years now I have lived as a refugee in a foreign country, albeit the one that is my spiritual home. Throughout this time, I have been trying to serve my fellow refugees, and, to the extent possible, the Tibetans who remain in Tibet. Meanwhile, our homeland has known immeasurable destruction and suffering. And, of course, I have lost not only my mother and other close family members but also dear friends. Yet for all this, although I certainly feel sad when I think about these losses, still so far as my basic serenity is concerned, on most days I am calm and contented. Even when difficulties arise, as they must, I am ususally not much bothered by them. I have no hesitation in saying I am happy.

According to my experience, the principal characteristic of genuine happiness is peace: inner peace.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millennium

tags technorati : Dalai_Lama quotes happiness_quotes happiness inner_peace quotations